Devotional
-
February 07, 2013
Set:
What happens when we get asked a question we are not prepared to answer? If you are anything like me, one of two things happen. The first option could be your heart beats rapidly and you blabber incoherently for a few seconds in an effort to form an answer. The other option is to pause, take a deep breath, and calmly say what is on your heart. By the Lord's grace, I experienced the latter recently.
While preparing for an upcoming presentation on Leadership and Career Development to a group of aspiring young athletic professionals, I was blindsided by a question in a conference call with the symposium leader.
-
February 07, 2013
Set:
As a competitor, it is hard to give glory where glory is due, when others deserve it more than we do. Training, discipline, perseverance, and drive are all characteristics that can propel an athlete to the next level, making good athletes into great athletes.
But often after achieving a goal, we feel that it is our hard work that got us to that point. The praise, honor, and glory are focused on us as individual athletes.
Part of FCA’s Competitor’s Creed states:
“I do not trust in myself.
I do not boast in my abilities
or believe in my own strength.
I rely solely on the power of God.
I compete for the pleasure of
my Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ
and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.”
-
February 06, 2013
Set:
How could God be both human and divine at the same time? This is an impossible question to answer from a purely human perspective, but the Bible provides us with all the answers we need as the Holy Spirit applies it to our hearts and minds. Understanding great truths like the incarnation and the Trinity is impossible for us. We often try to find ways to explain what God is like, but our explanations are never complete since our minds cannot grasp how amazing God is.
-
February 05, 2013
Set:
What is your most powerful athletic tool? Is it the strength of your bench press, the drive from your leg squats, or your speed and agility? These are all important, but I think the most powerful tool is simply the ball. Think about it. Who is the most dangerous person in basketball? The man with the ball. The ball is needed to score—to win! Without the ball, Tiger Woods is just Eldrick; Michael Vick, just Mike; and Rocket Clemens, just Roger. It is what’s done with the ball that makes champions.
-
February 04, 2013
Set:
While watching an NFL game I saw something that made me scream out. I hollered a saying that everyone, especially sports commentators, uses when there is an incredible play. "Are you kidding me???"
-
February 03, 2013
Set:
Former Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne said, “I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.” Maybe when it comes to football, big players do make the difference in prayer. In the game of life, I’ve discovered the bottom line to getting prayers answered. As I look back on the times God has answered my prayers, I know why I got the answer. It was because I prayed the right prayer. I was specific with God when I prayed.
In Malachi 3:10 the Lord says, “Test Me in this way…See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.” Here we see the power of God to provide when we test Him. The way to test God is to be specific.
-
February 02, 2013
Set:
Bottom line -- it is hard to serve others in the arena of competition. I remember the one great story that happened in 1976 at a Special Olympics track and field event in Spokane, Washington. During the race, one contestant took a tumble, and one of the other athletes turned back to help the fallen one. They both finished the race and crossed the finish line together. This was a classic example of a one competitor serving another in competition.
What does it mean to serve others when competing? If it had been you in the situation abover, would you have turned to go back? When it comes to serving others as an athlete or coach, there are 4 P's at the Heart of Serving that God can use in our lives: Power, Purpose, Plan and Passion.
-
February 01, 2013
Set:
In this Bible story (Ac 4:1–13), we see courage on display in the lives of Peter and John. These great men were thrown into jail for speaking the truth and performing a miracle. When asked about their ministry, Peter boldly gave the glory to Jesus, not himself, and proclaimed that salvation was found only in Christ. This boldness could only be explained because they had experienced a personal a relationship with their Lord.
-
January 31, 2013
Set:
After leading the nation in total offense and passing yards per game last season, University of Houston quarterback Case Keenum was all set to lead the Cougars to another great run in 2010. That all changed, however, when in just their third game Keenum suffered a season-ending knee injury that forced him to the sideline for his senior season. As a man of faith, the injury forced Keenum to rely on the Lord in new ways and to fully trust in the Lord’s ultimate plan.
-
January 30, 2013
Set:
As a girls’ basketball coach, I remember one game last season in which my best player was having difficulty making lay-ups and playing defense. When I pulled her out of the game and asked her what was wrong, she said she hadn’t eaten anything and was hungry. I quickly sent an assistant coach to purchase a candy bar and a sports drink for her. Once she ate the snack, she was able to come back in the second half and perform well for a few minutes. Before long, however, the hunger pains returned. The snack hadn’t been enough.
When my player was hungry, I thought that giving her a convenient snack would satisfy her enough to make it through the game. What I didn’t consider, however, was that the quick fix was not enough to sustain her energy.
